Luther and Lutheranism

Martin Luther was eight years old when Christopher Columbus set sail from Europe and landed in the Western Hemisphere. Luther was a young monk and priest when Michaelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome...

ELCA Good Gifts Catalog

Assignment Process

Assignment completes candidacy for all people, including those ordained in another Lutheran church or Christian tradition, moving them toward first call and admittance to the appropriate roster in the ELCA...

Joint Observance

The ELCA Conference of Bishops' Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Liaison Committee and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by signing a joint statement during a Lutheran-Catholic service of Common Prayer.

Reformation 500

Martin Luther posted his “Ninety-Five Theses” in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, and the resulting debate about Christian teaching and practice led to changes that have shaped the course of Western Christianity for almost 500 years.

ELCA Foundation

Your life. Your faith. Your gift to the future.

Our lives are journeys of faith and generosity. And as our faith matures and deepens, so does the way we support God’s work in the world. Each of us has a unique story, and we are part of a larger story that makes up the ELCA. We work through our congregations, synods and partners, and the churchwide organization. Together, we achieve things on a scale and scope that we could never do otherwise.

As we reflect on our lives and the impact the church has made on us, we all have a one-of-a-kind story to share. What is yours? Perhaps you have developed a passion for supporting ELCA World Hunger, ELCA Fund for Leaders, Lutheran Disaster Response or other churchwide ministries of the ELCA. Maybe you have seen firsthand how ELCA social ministry organizations and other agencies have provided hope to so many. Your story may include wanting to give back to the institutions that have helped shape you, like an ELCA college or seminary. Or maybe you would like to leave a lasting legacy to your own synod or congregation, which has played such an important role in your spiritual growth.

As you contemplate your past — and look to the future — you may want to show your gratitude for all that the church has done for you. But you might not know where to begin. The ELCA Foundation stands ready to assist you, your congregation, synod or other ELCA organization. The ELCA Foundation offers expertise, as well as resources, financial education and investment and endowment management services to help you make major or planned gifts to an ELCA ministry that has meant so much to you. We can accompany you as you joyfully answer the call to live as faithful stewards — and continue your distinct story by making gifts that help change the world, near and far.

The examples and information provided on this website are for illustrative and educational purposes only and should not be considered tax or legal advice. Please consult with your tax or legal advisor about proceeding with your gift plan.

This is Christ's church.

There is a place for you here.

We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person--questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.